Announcing the 2020 Mockingbird Foundation Virtual Run!

Summer 2020 is shaping up to be a year of canceled events. Maybe we can’t gather in large groups, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to be together as a community, to both share an event and help The Mockingbird Foundation support music education! Outdoor walks and runs - with social distancing maintained - are considered to be essential activities for our physical and mental health. Let’s get together as a community and agree on this: we’re about to run!

Read the details below and then sign up!

What is a virtual run anyway?

A virtual run is an event where you run a course of your own devising at the same approximate time as other people. Don’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn? Want to devise a course that’s all downhill? That’s fine. Just submit a screenshot from your favorite tracking app (Runkeeper, Strava, Fitbit, Map My Run, Apple’s Activity app, Google Health, etc.) and you have finished! It’s an honor system, but the Famous Mockingbird has been known to fly around. It will catch you if you cheat!

How do I make a course?

Next time you’re getting exercise, fire up your tracker and wander your neighborhood. Get an idea of which roads and parks are best for easy running. It might be on a side street or on a stairway to the stars, but figuring out your course is a great way to explore your city, explore the city you live in.

When will the Mockingbird Foundation Virtual Run Happen?

While you can do it at any point of the long weekend, this will occur over Labor Day. Normally we would be all loving Dick’s but just this once we can love putting one foot in front of the other over and over again.

What are the distances we can run?

The Mockingbird Foundation Virtual Run comes in three distances:

Thousands Ran Along, Chanting Words from a Song: 2.7 miles

Phish have postponed 27 shows until 2021. Reclaim that number by running 2.7 miles. Every step you take brings you that much closer to the rescheduled show.

You’re Running So Fast, Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground: 9.28 km (5.8 miles)

According to Phish Stats, Phish have played 928 distinct songs in concert. Celebrate that fact by running a 9.28 km (5.8 miles). How many different songs can you listen to until you finish?

Run Like an Antelope, Out of Control!: 18.61 km (11.5 miles)

Phish.net has 1861 different shows listed in the show database. While we’re waiting for that number to click up to 1862, we can run 18.61 km (11.5 miles). We might be waiting now, but you can at least be happy that we don’t have enough new shows to feel the need to ramp it up to 11.6 miles.

No matter which one of these you chose, with these non-standard distances, you have a guaranteed personal record!

Sure, a solo run is fun, but can I have an additional challenge?

Of course you can. You’re running against yourself, but what’s the fun unless there’s a goal? Therefore you can also try to Out-time the Timer!

Barring an injury or new restrictive rules, Mockingbird Board Member David “Zzyzx” Steinberg will run all three distances between now and Labor Day. Can you beat his times? There is only one way to find out. Winners get a certificate worthy of posting to Instagram or printing and framing! Warning: Zzyzx has been studying topographical maps to find the perfect downhill course.

Why are we running?

It’s a reason to get out of the house and keep in shape so we can eat all of our quarantine food. And also because you’re a big, black furry creature from Mars.

Yeah, this seems like fun, but I’m not really fast. Is it cool if I do this too?

Yes! The great thing about a virtual run is that you can go at your own pace. Run it. Jog it. Walk your dog. Take a slow stroll around your neighborhood. There’s no time cut off here. Take your time! All that matters is that you get out there. The only rule is: it begins!

Prizes aren’t always for the winners. The last place finisher at each pace will get a Sloth stuffed animal, perfect for killing an evil king while eating Italian spaghetti.

What do I get for signing up?

Anyone who races knows that the real reason to run is for the shwag. Every participant receives a 2020 Mockingbird Foundation Virtual Run technical t-shirt and racing bib. Upon submitting your time, you will also receive a finisher’s medal. Registration will also let you join the Mockingbird Foundation Virtual Run Facebook group. Discuss your favorite show to listen to on a run. Debate the perfect training plan. Talk about how you don’t want to run because it’s too hot and let yourself be talked into doing it anyway. What is a Phish fan event without community? Community is grand!

Is my Registration Fee Tax Deductible?

The Mockingbird Foundation is a 501©(3) corporation, dedicated to improving access to music education for America’s youth. Each year, the Foundation awards grants to dozens of music education programs, and funds those grants through a combination of fundraising, publishing, and the curation of Phish.net, one of the earliest Internet fan communities. Therefore, the amount of your registration fee in excess of the fair market value of the participation prizes ($15) is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

I got so distracted by all of the Phish references that I forgot to click the link. Where can I sign up again?

That would be at: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/KingOfPrussia/MockingbirdFoundationVirtualRun

If you liked this blog post, one way you could "like" it is to make a donation to The Mockingbird Foundation, the sponsor of Phish.net. Support music education for children, and you just might change the world.